Slide OB 13e chapter 014 power and politics

Robbins & Judge

Organizational Behavior
13th Edition

Chapter 14: Power and Politics
Student Study Slideshow
Bob Stretch
Southwestern College

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Chapter Learning Objectives
• After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
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Define power, and contrast leadership and power.
Contrast the five bases of power.
Identify nine power or influence tactics and their contingencies.
Show the connection between sexual harassment and the abuse

of power.
Distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate political
behavior.
Identify the causes and consequences of political behavior.
Apply impression management techniques.
Determine whether a political action is ethical.
Show the influence of culture on the uses and perceptions of
politics.

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A Definition of Power
• Power

– The capacity that A has to influence the behavior of B
so that B acts in accordance with A’s wishes
– Exists as a potential or fully actualized influence over a
dependent relationship
• Dependency

– B’s relationship to A when A possesses something that
B requires
– The greater B's dependence, the more power A has

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Contrasting Leadership and Power
Leadership
– Focuses on goal
achievement
– Requires goal compatibility
with followers
– Focuses influence
downward

• Research Focus
– Leadership styles and
relationships with followers

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Power
– Used as a means for
achieving goals
– Requires follower
dependency
– Used to gain lateral and
upward influence

• Research Focus
– Power tactics for gaining
compliance

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Bases of Power: Formal Power
• Formal Power
– Established by an individual’s position in an
organization
– Three bases:
• Coercive Power
» A power base dependent on fear of negative results

• Reward Power
» Compliance achieved based on the ability to distribute rewards that
others view as valuable

• Legitimate Power
» The formal authority to control and use resources based on a person’s
position in the formal hierarchy
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Bases of Power: Personal Power
• Power that comes from an individual’s unique characteristics –
these are the most effective

– Expert Power
• Influence based on special skills or knowledge

– Referent Power

• Influence based on possession by an individual of desirable
resources or personal traits

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Dependency: The Key To Power
• The General Dependency Postulate
– The greater B’s dependency on A, the greater the power A
has over B
– Possession/control of scarce organizational resources that
others need makes a manager powerful
– Access to optional resources (e.g., multiple suppliers)
reduces the resource holder’s power

• Dependency increases when resources are:
– Important
– Scarce
– Nonsubstitutable
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Power Tactics
• Power Tactics
– Ways in which individuals translate power bases into
specific actions

– Nine influence tactics:
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Legitimacy
Rational persuasion*
Inspirational appeals*
Consultation*
Exchange
Personal appeals
Ingratiation
Pressure
Coalitions

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* Most effective
(Pressure is the least effective)
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Preferred Power Tactics by Influence
Direction

Upward Influence

Downward Influence

Lateral Influence

Rational persuasion

Rational persuasion

Rational persuasion

Inspirational appeals

Consultation

Pressure

Ingratiation

Consultation

Exchange

Ingratiation

Legitimacy

Exchange

Personal appeals

Legitimacy

Coalitions

Exhibit 14-2
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Factors Influencing Power Tactics
• Choice and effectiveness of influence tactics are moderated by:

– Sequencing of tactics
• Softer to harder tactics work best

– Political skill of the user
– The culture of the organization
• Culture affects user’s choice of tactic

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14-10


Sexual Harassment: A Case of Unequal
Power
• Sexual Harassment:

– Any unwanted activity of a sexual nature that affects
an individual’s employment and creates a hostile work
environment

• Overt actions, like unwanted touching, are relatively easy to
spot
• Subtle actions, like jokes or looks, can cross over the line into
harassment

• Sexual harassment isn’t about sex: it is about
abusing an unequal power relationship
– Harassment can damage the well-being of the
individual, work group, and organization

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Managerial Actions to Prevent Sexual
Harassment
• Make sure a policy against it is in place.
• Ensure that employees will not encounter retaliation if they file a
complaint.
• Investigate every complaint and include the human resource and
legal departments.
• Make sure offenders are disciplined or terminated.
• Set up in-house seminars and training.

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Politics: Power in Action
• Political Behavior

– Activities that are not required as part of one’s formal
role in the organization, but that influence, or attempt
to influence, the distribution of advantages or
disadvantages within the organization
– Legitimate Political Behavior

• Normal everyday politics - complaining, bypassing,
obstructing

– Illegitimate Political Behavior

• Extreme political behavior that violates the implied rules of
the game: sabotage, whistle-blowing, and symbolic protest

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The Reality of Politics
• Politics is a natural result of resource scarcity
– Limited resources lead to competition and political

behaviors

• Judgments on quality differ markedly based on the
observer’s perception
– “Blaming others” or “fixing responsibility”
– “Covering your rear” or “documenting decisions”
– “Perfectionist” or “attentive to detail”

• Most decisions are made under ambiguous conditions
– Lack of an objective standard encourages political
maneuvering of subjective reality
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Causes and Consequences of Political
Behavior
• Factors that Influence Political Behavior

– See Exhibit 14-4
• Employee Responses to Organizational Politics

– Most employees have low to modest willingness to
play politics and have the following reactions to
politics:
– See Exhibit 14-5

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Defensive Behaviors
• Employees who perceive politics as a threat have
defensive reactions

– May be helpful in the short run, dangerous in the long
run

• Types of defensive behaviors
– Avoiding Action

• Over-conforming, buck-passing, playing dumb, stalling

– Avoiding Blame

• Bluffing, playing safe, justifying, scapegoating

– Avoiding Change

• Prevention, self-protection

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Impression Management (IM)
• The process by which individuals attempt to

control the impression others form of them
• IM Techniques
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Conformity
Excuses
Apologies
Self-Promotion
Flattery
Favors
Association

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Exhibit 14-7
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IM Effectiveness
• Job Interview Success

– IM does work and most people use it
– Self-promotion techniques are important
– Ingratiation is of secondary importance

• Performance Evaluations

– Ingratiation is positively related to ratings
– Self-promotion tends to backfire

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The Ethics of Behaving Politically
• It is difficulty to tell ethical from unethical
politicking
• Three questions help:
1. What is the utility of engaging in the behavior?
2. Does the utility balance out any harm done by the
action?
3. Does the action conform to standards of equity and
justice?

• Answers can be skewed toward either viewpoint
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Global Implications
• Politics Perceptions

– Negative consequences to the perception of politics

seem to be fairly widespread

• Preference for Power Tactics

– The choice of effective tactics is heavily dependent on
the culture of the country in which they are to be used

• Effectiveness of Power Tactics

– Still open to debate; too little research has been done

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Summary and Managerial Implications
• Increase your power by having others depend on
you more.
• Expert and referent power are far more effective
than is coercion.
– Greater employee motivation, performance,
commitment, and satisfaction
– Personal power basis, not organizational

• Effective managers accept the political nature of
organizations.
• Political astuteness and IM can result in higher
evaluations, salary increases, and promotions.
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